Florida briefs: Gainesville police tweet, infant heat death

GAINESVILLE (AP) — Gainesville's police department has rejected President Donald Trump's remarks that appeared to advocate for the rougher treatment of people in police custody.

The Gainesville Police Department responded on Twitter to Trump's remarks in a speech in Suffolk County, New York, on Friday. The president told law enforcement to not be "too nice" when dealing with handcuffed suspects.

Gainesville's department said it "rejects these remarks and continues to serve with respect." The tweet was retweeted almost 34,000 times Saturday afternoon.

Department spokesman Officer Ben Tobias also tweeted that those who applauded "should be ashamed." His tweet was retweeted more than 72,000 times Saturday.

Man faces charges after baby dies in hot bedroom

LARGO (AP) — A Florida man is facing criminal charges after his 8-month-old son died while being kept in a sweltering bedroom with no air conditioning.

William Francis Hendrickson, 25, had been told by child protection authorities the day before his son's death to keep his children in another room, The Tampa Bay Times reported. The baby died Thursday after being kept in the Largo mobile home bedroom that was 109 degrees when police arrived.

Authorities say the baby's body temperature was 105.6 degrees. Hendrickson's 2-year-old daughter had to be treated for dehydration.

The children's mother was arrested days earlier on a battery charge, so was in jail at the time of the child's death.

Hendrickson now he faces charges of aggravated child neglect and aggravated manslaughter.

A neighbor said conditions at Hendrickson's mobile home were "horrific." Sherry McCauley, 48, told the newspaper the inside was always hot and dark, and there were cockroaches and bugs everywhere. Florida's Department of Children and Families said there had been three previous investigations at the home over concerns about the children.

Eckerd Kids, the lead child welfare agency in Pinellas County, said concerns had been raised about the children to the proper authorities, but declined to comment further because of the ongoing investigation.

Twins' mom dies days after their birth and their dad slain

WEST PALM BEACH (AP) — A Florida woman died of an infection shortly after giving birth to twins and on the same day of the funeral of her slain boyfriend — the father of the babies.

The Palm Beach Post reports that 27-year-old Stephanie Caceres died Wednesday of an infection caused by her cesarean section, 12 days after giving birth to the twins she had with Jevaughn Suckoo. Unknown assailants fatally shot him July 11 outside their home.

Her aunt, Joni Saunders, told the newspaper, "we're just trying to figure out how to move forward."

The pediatric office where Caceres worked in the front office is taking up a collection to help the twins, Jevaughn Jr. and Lailah, and the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Kailanie.

Judge rejects challenge to execution drugs

TALLAHASSEE — A death row inmate scheduled to be executed next month failed in a bid to get a Jacksonville judge to delay his execution because of the state's new triple-drug lethal injection protocol.

Duval County Circuit Court Judge Tatiana Salvador on Friday rejected a request from Mark James Asay to put a hold on an Aug. 24 execution date scheduled by Gov. Rick Scott. Asay's appeal included a challenge to a new lethal injection protocol — which includes a drug never used before for executions in Florida, or in any other state — adopted by the Florida Department of Corrections earlier this year.

In its new protocol, Florida is substituting etomidate for midazolam as the critical first drug, used to sedate prisoners before injecting them with a paralytic and then a drug used to stop prisoners' hearts. In a 30-page order issued Friday, Salvador ruled that Asay failed to prove the new three-drug protocol is unconstitutional.

"Defendant has only demonstrated a possibility of mild to moderate pain that would last, at most, tens of seconds," Salvador wrote. "Therefore, this Court finds the potential pain and anesthetic aspect of etomidate does not present risks that are 'sure or very likely' to cause serious illness or needless suffering or give rise to 'sufficiently imminent dangers.' "

The execution of Asay, who has until 10 a.m. Monday to appeal the circuit court decision, is slated to be the first in Florida in more than 18 months. Asay was convicted in 1988 of the murders of Robert Lee Booker and Robert McDowell in downtown Jacksonville. Asay allegedly shot Booker, who was black, after calling him a racial epithet. He then killed McDowell, who was dressed as a woman, after agreeing to pay him for oral sex. According to court documents, Asay later told a friend that McDowell had previously cheated him out of money in a drug deal.

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